Brooklyn Eyes 2016 Democratic Convention

Stan Honda—AFP/Getty ImagesExterior view of the Barclays Center before a Brooklyn Nets basketball game in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, April 9, 2013.

New York City making a bid for convention

Brooklyn will make a pitch to host the Democratic National Covention in 2016, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

De Blasio suggested the Barclays Center, where the Brooklyn Nets play, as the prospective venue, citing its access to multiple subway lines and proximity to other cultural centers like the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Brooklyn Museum.

“Our enthusiasm for hosting the DNC is matched only by our capacity to execute large, world class events such as the Super Bowl XLVIII,” de Blasio wrote in a letter to the Democratic National Committee. “We are proud to be the safest big city in the country and the home of the nation’s most extensive public transit system and largest bicycle-share program.”